My Children Are Working On It

Brandon Sun “Small
World” Column, Monday, August 12 / 13Zack
Gross

I recently had the opportunity
to reflect on the first times that I entered Manitoba classrooms as a
guest speaker on global issues. It was back in the days of
the “Miles for Millions” marches, the Manitoba Association for World
Development (MAWD) fundraisers that brought tens of thousands of youth
out to cover 35-mile walks in both Winnipeg and Brandon, back in the
late 60s.

We went out to schools to promote the Marches, but also to talk to kids
about how the dollars they raised would enable schools to be built and
books, desks and pencils to be bought in poor “Third World”
communities. Ultimately, we hoped that poor students would
have closer to the same opportunities that Manitoba youth have to learn
and earn a living. In those days, I was just a little older
than many of the students that I spoke to.

Now, almost 45 years later, I am still going into classrooms and
continue to bring the message that we should care about global and
local poverty issues, that we should examine our lifestyle and see how
a less-consumer oriented one can alleviate environmental damage to our
planet, and that we should act generously (but also effectively) to
help those in need.

Manitobans are known for their generosity – that hasn’t
changed. They are also known for their practicality, their
frugality and their independent thought.

What is exciting is about today’s Manitoba schools is the recognition
that, along with the essentials of the 3 R’s, we need to inform and
support our students so that they can tackle the many economic and
social challenges that our society, and those around the world, will
face during their lifetime. This commitment by the
educational system, as I experience it, will allow our youth to become
more participatory citizens, whether they choose to farm, enter the
business world, become professionals or work at a trade.

Award-winning School Division leaders such as Evergreen’s Paul Cuthbert
and Interlake’s Christine Penner have attested to the way that social
and environmental concern not only has an impact “out there,” but also
brings a sense of community and better academic results to their
schools. In recent years, teachers and students from Erickson
and Souris, Gimli and Beausejour, among others, have been celebrated
for their contributions to global citizenship (time, energy and ideas).

Gimli has become a Fair Trade “certified” town, largely on the strength
of its youth wanting to tackle issues of environmental degradation and
child labour associated with the cocoa and sugar trade, and the
production of coffee, clothing and sports balls. As well, a
number of local initiatives related to the task of cleaning up Lake
Winnipeg have a strong youth connection, thanks to a biology class and
student club at the high school. The municipal
council and business community tell me that they recognize that an
engaged youth are good citizens.

Fair trade isn’t anti-business. In fact, the private sector
has shown itself to be ahead in seeing that this once-niche market “has
legs” and will become the mainstream, and understanding that young
consumers are looking for more social and environmental
responsibility. There isn’t a grocery or convenience store, a
gas station or restaurant that doesn’t offer something fair trade,
organic or both.

Environmental stewardship isn’t anti-business. There is a
great need for all stakeholders in our society, including our “leaders
of tomorrow” to participate in the discussion of what our planet can
handle so that our economic development is sustainable. In a
“My Ideal Gimli” exercise I did with local youth, students drew on
flipcharts what they thought the town should look like. Their
vision was of independent businesses, green spaces, and a place that
equally welcomed everyone.

There’s a story I like to tell. In the days of feared nuclear
holocaust, in the 80s and 90s, the concern was raised that our children
were severely stressed by the shadow of “final war” hanging over
them. A study was done in the US to better understand how
students were coping with this perceived feeling of
insecurity. The students who were least stressed by fears of
nuclear war were the children of people actively concerned about the
peace process. They generally said: I feel hopeful
because my parents are (or “our family is”) working on this.

I am asked now, as a longtime activist, if I am hopeful or fearful
about our future. After all, the world is facing tremendous
challenges in the coming decades. And I give my answer back,
a mirror-image of what those youth said decades ago. I am
hopefully, because my children (and the new, younger generation) are
working on it.Zack Gross works
for the Manitoba Council for International
Co-operation (MCIC), a
coalition of more than 40 international development organizations.